Alert archive / Alabama / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 32, NWS Birmingham, AL

October 18, 2004Lamar County, Alabama

NWS Birmingham, AL issued this tornado warning at Oct 18, 2004, 8:43 PM CDT for Lamar County, Alabama. It was in force for 47 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 18, 2004, 8:43 PM CDT (01:43 UTC)
Expired
Oct 18, 2004, 9:30 PM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Birmingham, AL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Lamar County, AL

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 12 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:46 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Oct 18, 7:10 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 hours before the alert went out and 152 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2004-10-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 142 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2004-10-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 271 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
142 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-60 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1009 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
271 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
388 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WFUS54 KBMX 190143
TORBHM
ALC075-190230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
842 PM CDT MON OCT 18 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LAMAR COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

* UNTIL 930 PM CDT

* AT 840 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 11 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF SULLIGENT...OR ABOUT 14 MILES EAST OF ABERDEEN...
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  SULLIGENT BY 900 PM CDT

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM CDT MONDAY EVENING
FOR NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA.

LAT...LON 3388 8840 3356 8823 3388 8795 3402 8808

$$

SIRMON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 19, 8:22 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXBlount23 min
Oct 19, 8:45 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXBlount, St. Clair45 min
Oct 19, 9:16 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXMarion, Winston119 min
Oct 19, 9:29 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningBMXBlount2 hr
Oct 19, 9:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSt. Clair, Talladega36 min
Oct 19, 10:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXCalhoun49 min
Oct 19, 10:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXTalladega29 min
Oct 19, 11:40 AM CDTTornado WarningBMXClay35 min
Oct 19, 1:16 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXTallapoosa29 min
Oct 19, 1:22 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLee38 min
Oct 19, 1:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXChambers24 min
Oct 19, 2:08 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLee37 min
Oct 19, 2:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter32 min
Oct 19, 2:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo41 min
Oct 19, 3:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo47 min
Oct 19, 3:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter15 min
Oct 19, 4:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXSumter46 min
Oct 19, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo31 min
Oct 19, 4:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXDallas43 min
Oct 19, 4:41 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDallas49 min
Oct 19, 4:44 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSumter46 min
Oct 19, 4:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBMXMarengo33 min
Oct 19, 5:15 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLowndes45 min
Oct 19, 5:26 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXSumter34 min
Oct 19, 5:30 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXDallas45 min
Oct 19, 5:41 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXMarengo64 min
Oct 19, 5:59 PM CDTTornado WarningBMXLowndes46 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Alabama, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes in 2004

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.